Picking Up The Pieces
by Lyrical.Laughter
Summary: Takes place a few years ago, Torn between Ethan and Chad Theresa must decide who she's really meant to be with *FINISHED*
1. Chapter 1

This story was written about a year ago so it's WAY out of date but I thought I'd post it for you anyway.   
Background- Theresa told Ethan she loved him at the prom and all of that. The night of the motorcycle accident she was in happened, when they were dancing and Ethan told her he didn't love her and she ran off but she never got into the motorcycle accident so he never admitted to loving her. Thus he and Gwen got married and Ethan figured Theresa's crush had gone away, a couple months later Julian exposed Ivy's secret about Ethan's paternity but he and Gwen stayed together. Julian kicked Ivy out of the mansion but still stayed in contact with Ethan, they made a deal that if Ethan stayed away from Sam Bennett Ethan would inherit one eighth of the Crane fortune when Alistair died. Ivy urged Ethan not to take the deal because she wanted Ethan to help her resolve things with her and Sam, since he refused to talk to her when he found out the truth. Gwen and Rebecca pushed Ethan to take Julian's offer and he finally did. Julian allowed Ethan to keep everything he already had except the Crane name This takes place 7 months after the Winthrop-Hotchkiss wedding and Ethan and Theresa are still friends but nothing more and Gwen is clueless of Theresa's feelings.   
  
Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald sat down at a table at the book café and awaited Ethan Winthrop, he and Gwen had been on a business trip for almost two months now. She impatiently watched the door and finally she saw him and even after all of this time her heart still sped up.  
"Hi Ethan, you wanted to tell me something?" she asked as he sat down across the table from him. She hoped against hope that maybe he was divorcing Gwen and wanted to admit his lovev for her but the happy look on his face made herthink again.   
"I couldn't WAIT to tell you," he said grinning like a school boy on Christmas morning.  
"Tell me what?" asked Theresa, her curiosity peaked and her heart falling to her stomach.  
"Well when we were in New York Gwen and I found out we're having a baby!!" said Ethan all smiles.  
"Th-that's…great!" said Theresa vowing not to let tears fall, Ethan could read her to well now. 'This can't be happening! It just can't! I can't take this!' she thought to herself. "I am so happy for you," she said giving him a smile, "Oh my gosh look at the time! I have to go home right now, congratulations," she said giving him a hug and then making a hasty exit. She got in her car and drove home and she didn't look back.  
Theresa opened the door and threw herself on the couch, finally letting her tears fall.  
"Yo, Theresa, what's the matter girl?" asked Chad Harris, her friend and house-mate as he walked into the living room.  
Theresa sat up and brushed hair away from her face. "Ethan and Gwen are having a baby."   
Chad sat down beside her, "Damn, I'm sorry," he said putting an arm around her.  
"I just don't know what to do anymore, It's been half a year since he got married and I wish to God I could move on and stop thinking about him, but I can't. I thought I was making progress with getting over him and moving on, but it's all gone! I just can't be around him with out loving him. You were here for me to pick up the pieces when Ethan got married and I felt like I had no reason to live anymore and now look at me, I'm back to square one," she said burying her head in his chest.  
"Theresa, it's just a minor setback in you getting over him, it will happen someday, I promise. Why don't we go to the Seascape tonight and just relax. It's on me."  
"Chad, I don't want to take your money, let's just stay home."  
"Nah, we are going, I'll go make reservations and you go pick out a dress and do all that other useless stuff that girls do," he said smiling.  
Theresa smiled, "Okay, okay!" she said hugging him and going upstairs to her bedroom.  
  
Ethan wondered what was wrong with Theresa, she had looked so upset. "She's probably just so emotional over the news of our baby," he said to himself. He remembered when he had told Sheridan and she had cried forever, hugging both he and Gwen. Ethan shrugged it off and decided to take Gwen to celebrate at the Seascape.  
"Gwen, are you here?" he asked as he entered the Hotchkiss-Winthrop Mansion of which Alistair had given them.  
"Ethan! I just called mother and she's coming RIGHT away so she can help with the baby and all of that stuff. I just can't wait, we are going to have such a perfect life and a loving family and we are going to be together forever!" she said running down the stairs and into his arms.  
"Gwen, I don't want you running down the stairs you could trip and hurt yourself or the baby."   
"You're right, I'm sorry. I am just SO happy!"  
"I know, so am I. I was wondering if you would like to go to the Seascape and celebrate?" asked Ethan.  
"I would love to!" she said kissing him.  
"Okay, let's go get ready," he said smiling as he touched her stomach that had barely begun to show.  
  
"So have you talked to Whitney lately?" asked Theresa.  
"Yeah, we had some lattes together earlier," said Chad as they sat down at their table.  
"Are you getting back together?" asked Theresa remembering when they had broken up a couple months ago.  
"Nah, we just decided to be friends is all."  
"Has Simone backed off?"  
"No, she's still obsessed with me, I've tried to talk to her but she won't listen."  
"I know how she feels, oh no, don't look at the door."  
"Why?" asked Chad not looking.  
"Ethan and Gwen are here, look at her stomach it's so big," she said, trying not to cry.  
"That's just great. If you want to leave we can."  
"No that's alright, I want to enjoy myself," said Theresa concentrating on the menu instead of Ethan and Gwen.  
"Theresa! Ethan didn't tell me you would be here tonight," said Gwen rushing over to them.  
"Mrs. Hotchkiss-Winthrop, your table is ready," the waiter interrupted.  
"No that's quite alright, I think we'll just stay here with our friends," said Gwen.  
"Yes, Mrs. Hotchkiss-Winthrop," replied the waiter as he got two more chairs.  
Gwen sat down next to Chad so Ethan had to sit next to Theresa.  
"So Theresa, Chad what are you doing here. On a date perhaps?" asked Gwen smiling.  
"No-" began Theresa.  
"Theresa you ain't got to be shy, yeah we're on a date," Said Chad.  
Ethan who had stayed out of the conversation, now spoke up as he felt something like jealousy, "A date? When did you two get together?" asked Ethan trying to sound nonchalant.  
"Actually, this is our first date. Theresa and me is such good friends it just happened, you know?" said Chad as he gently reached for Theresa's hand and wrapped his around hers.  
Theresa just sat there and looked at Chad confused and he winked at her. "Yeah, you know how friends sometimes become more," she said smiling, as she went along with Chad's lie.  
Ethan watched as Chad held her hand. 'Chad is my friend so why do I feel like pulling him away from her?' he asked himself. "Excuse me, I have to go to the men's room," said Ethan getting up and walking away.  
"You know, I'm going to go freshen up myself, do you want to come Theresa?" asked Gwen as she stood up.  
"No thank you, Gwen," said Theresa as she faked a smile.  
Gwen walked away and Theresa turned to Chad. "What was all of this date stuff all about, Ethan will never admit he loves me if he thinks I'm taken."  
"Well, I did it for two reasons, first I wanted to see Ethan's reaction and I did and secondly you need to get over him and if acting like your date helps then so be it, you can concentrate on me instead of Ethan. I don't want him to give you false hope by flirting with you, he may be my friend but if he's not smart enough to see what a beautiful, desirable, loving woman you are, he honestly don't deserve you.   
"Thanks, Chad. It's been a long time since I've felt beautiful and desirable, it feels good to hear those words, you are the best friend I could ever have," said Theresa giving him a hug with tears in her eyes.  
"Hey, don't get all mushy on me or I might end up cryin' too," he said gently wiping a tear from her cheek.  
"Ugh-hum."  
Theresa turned around and saw Ethan. "Welcome back."  
"Thanks," said Ethan as he sat down. "As soon as Gwen gets here we can order.  
  
Theresa watched as Gwen came rushing back to the table with a huge grin on her face. "I just had the most WONDERFUL idea in the whole entire world!" said Gwen clapping her hands together.  
"What's your idea?" asked Ethan.  
"Well I was in the ladies room and I saw this picture and it reminded me of our honeymoon in Bermuda and you know how much I loved it there Ethan. Anyway I was thinking that to celebrate our baby and Chad and Theresa's new relationship we could all four go there! Isn't it great!?"  



	2. Chapter 2

As soon as Gwen mentioned Bermuda Ethan had a flashback of when he and Theresa were there and how they danced and how beautiful she looked when she was sleeping and also how much fun they had had at the hotel store buying clothes.  
"Ethan, Ethan are you listening to me?" asked Gwen.  
"Uh yeah. I don't think it's a great idea, why don't we just throw a little party or something, you are almost five months along, I don't want anything to happen." Said Ethan not wanting Chad and Theresa to be in Bermuda together.  
"Come on Ethan….Pllleeeeeaaaaaaassssseeee?" said Gwen pleadingly.  
"Well, I guess we could spend one day there. That is if Theresa and Chad want to go," he said hoping they would decline.  
"We would love to," said Chad.  
"Yeah, we would," said Theresa looking at Ethan.  
"Okay! It's settled, we can leave tomorrow morning on the Winthrop jet. This is going to be SO exciting!  
They finally ordered their food and all the while Gwen talked about how happy she was and her and Ethan's plans for the future. It hurt Theresa to hear all of the plans that were supposed to be for her and Ethan. Having children, traveling, they even planned to renew their vows in a couple years. Theresa would have been lost had Chad not been there for her. Finally it was time to leave.  
"You two can come back with us to the Mansion and we can have a few drinks," said Gwen.  
"No, I really have to pack for tomorrow," said Theresa as they all walked out of the restaurant.  
"Okay then, we'll see you tomorrow," said Gwen as Ethan walked her to their car and they drove away.  
"Well that was an interesting evening," said Chad as he opened the car door for Theresa.  
"Yeah it was, I can't believe Gwen talked Ethan into going to Bermuda, I know you are going to love it there, we can have so much fun."  
"Yeah, I hope so, I just don't want it to turn out to be a disaster." 

They got to their house and went upstairs to their rooms which were across the hall from each other.  
Theresa went into her room, she had a dark velvet bedspread that was decorated with stars. She had purple and blue curtains and her wall was decorated with posters of fairies and unicorns. It reminded her of a fairy-tale.   
She sat down at her desk and took her ear rings and necklace off and put them into her jewelry box. She took out her brush and brushed the curls out of her hair as she put it is a simple braid at the nape of her neck.   
She got undressed and then opened her dresser drawer and pulled out her pajama's. She slipped on the tank top and shorts and then sat down on her bed. She reached under it and pulled out a suitcase and layed it on her bed beside her. She walked over to her dresser and started singing as she packed.  
  
I try but I can't seem to get myself to think of anything but you,   
Your breath on my face your warm, gentle kiss I taste the truth, I taste the truth   
We know what I came here for   
So I won't ask for more.   
I wanna be with you,   
If only for a night,   
To be the on who's in your arms to hold you tight,  
I wanna be with you.   
There's nothing more to say,   
There's nothing else I want more than to feel this way,   
I wanna be with you.   
  
So I'll hold you tonight like I would if you were mine to hold forevermore   
And I'll savor each touch that I've wanted so much to feel   
before, to feel before   
How beautiful it is   
Just to be like this.   
  
Chad was in his room packing and thinking about Theresa when he heard her voice. It reminded him of the avalanche at the Crane Cabin and how her and Ethan had sung together. He wished Ethan had realized how beautiful Theresa was inside and out instead of breaking her heart like he did. That girl pined away for him, and Ethan didn't even realize it.  
He wished someone had had that much love and devotion towards him, he knew Simone thought she did, she followed him and wrote him letters and called and tried to show him how much she loved him but Chad couldn't feel the same way about her. He continued to listen to Theresa and soon the song stopped.   
  
When he was done packing he decided to go say good night to her before he went to bed. He walked across the hall in his boxers and knocked on her bedroom door. "Theresa, you still awake?" he asked.  
"Yeah, come in," came the sad reply. Chad opened the door and walked in where she was laying on the bed so he sat down beside her.  
"What's wrong?" he asked when he saw the tears on her cheek.  
"I don't want to talk about it right now," she said looking up at the ceiling.  
"Well that's okay because I have all night," he said laying down beside her.  
Chad layed there for awhile when he heard Theresa sigh.  
"I miss Ethan, so much and I just can't get over him. Everything reminds me of him. It's just I feel so weak like I'm not strong enough to get over him, to move on and be happy."   
"I know and it's gonna be tough, you love him a lot and that won't go away just because he's married. You just gotta occupy your mind and don't let the feelings get to you, they'll probably always be there but you gotta learn not to let them control your life, I know you're strong enough to get through this even if it does take a while."  
Theresa didn't say anything, she just layed her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her. "Thanks, Chad. Will you stay in here tonight?"  
"Sure, Theresa," said Chad as they got under the bedspread. When Theresa and Chad had first moved in together around the time of Ethan's wedding it had become routine for Chad to sleep in Theresa's bed with her because she was upset a lot and needed a shoulder to cry on. When Chad and Whitney broke up it was reversed. They just enjoyed having some one to talk to and draw strength from. So Chad put his arm around Theresa and she snuggled up against him. He reached over and turned off the lamp.   
"Goodnight, Theresa."   
"Goodnight Chad." 

Ethan and Gwen got to the mansion and then went upstairs to their bedroom. They packed their clothes for the trip, undressed, took a shower together and then got ready for bed.  
"I can't wait to go to Bermuda, it's one of the greatest places in the world, I can still remember how great our honeymoon was," said Gwen as she layed down on the bed beside Ethan and kissed him.  
"It was wonderful, and you made a great bride and you make an even greater wife," he said smiling.  
"I love you so much, Ethan…We are going to be together forever, right?"  
"Forever," he said kissing her again. He put his arm around her and they fell asleep together.

Ethan and Gwen were awakened by the alarm clock so they got dressed and put their luggage in the trunk of the car. They then went to Theresa and Chad's house to pick them up. Ethan honked the horn but no one came out so he walked up to the door and knocked. He waited a few minutes but no one answered.  
"Ethan, honey, didn't they give you the key? Why don't you go in and see if everything is alright."  
"Okay," said Ethan as he pulled out his key chain, he knew right away which key was to the house because Theresa had gotten it custom made and had it made purple. He put the key into the key hole, turned it and then went inside. The living room had a sofa that was dark blue with stars. The wallpaper was a dark blue and also had stars on it. She had a lamp which was in the shape of a moon and her carpeting was also blue. There were some figurines of angels and other things and he thought that the house suited Theresa exactly and he was glad he let her borrow the money to buy and decorate the house.   
He went up the beautiful wooden staircase and into the hall which held their rooms, one of the bathrooms and a closet. He went to Chad's room and knocked but he didn't answer so he slowly opened the door and looked inside but the bed was made and there was no one in it. He then closed the door and knocked on Theresa's door, there was no answer so he turned the door-knob and walked in. He couldn't believe his eyes, Theresa was in bed with Chad! With a clenched jaw he knocked on the door harder to make them wake up. 

Theresa heard a loud noise and her head shot up. It took a second for the world to focus but then she saw Ethan standing in the doorway looking very mad. "What time is it? I'm so sorry I forgot to set the alarm clock." She looked over and saw Chad sleeping next to her and then she looked back at Ethan. "Uh this isn't…what it looks like," said Theresa as she shook Chad's shoulder to get him awake. "Chad wake up." 

Chad woke up and also saw Ethan and by his clenched jaw could see that he was not happy. "Uh I'd better go get dressed," he said pulling back the covers, still wearing boxers, and walking past Ethan and into his room.   
"I'd better let you get dressed too," said Ethan as he walked out of the room and shut the door. He walked down the stairs and got back in the car where Gwen was waiting patiently. "They'll be down in a minute."

Theresa ran to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and washed her face, then she dug through her closet and dresser for something to wear. She finally decided on a baby blue sleeveless shirt that tied in the back and a long dark blue skirt that had baby blue swirls. She quickly did her make-up and then she put her hair in a French roll. She slipped on some black sandals, grabbed her suitcases and left. When she got down to the car Chad was already in the back-seat so Theresa sat beside him as Ethan put her luggage in the trunk and they were off to the airport.

Theresa, Chad, Gwen and Ethan boarded the Winthrop jet. Theresa remembered when Ethan had talked her through the first lift-off almost a year ago. 'I don't need Ethan anymore though,' she thought to herself. She was sitting right next to him though and he was so close, if she wanted she could reach out and touch his smooth cheek, even kiss his soft lips. 'Theresa! You can't think like this!' she told herself. She closed her eyes and relaxed as they took off.  
Chad looked over at Theresa as she sat by Ethan with her eyes shut. She was so beautiful to him. Her lips looked so soft he could just imagine how it would feel to kiss her. 'Man, I can't be thinkin' like this!' he said to himself.  
All of a sudden the plane lurched and Theresa's eyes jerked open. "I'll go call the pilot and see what's wrong, it's probably just a bit of turbulence, or bad weather," said Gwen as she got up and walked over to the phone.  
"Ethan, do you think everything's okay?" asked Theresa getting a bit scared.  
"Of course, it's just some turbulence." As soon as Ethan finished the sentence the jet started to nose dive and lurch and then the lights started to flicker. 


	3. Chapter 3

"Gwen! Gwen! Are you okay?" yelled Ethan.  
"I'm fine, what's happing?"   
The lights flickered on and Chad saw Theresa holding onto Ethan looking terrified. He felt a moment of jealousy. They were going to die and Theresa was holding on to Ethan, the very man who had broken her heart.  
"Ethan I have something to tell you if we are going to die," said Theresa as the plane continued to spiral downwards. She gulped down her fear as she prepared to confess her love to him again.  
"Yes, Theresa?" asked Ethan through the darkness, his teeth clenched as he prayed for God to spare Gwen and thier baby.   
Theresa took a deep breath as she prepared for the end. "I-I-still-love-"  
"Mrs. Winthrop," said the pilot over the intercom. "We ran into some bad weather, I should have the jet under control in a matter of seconds."  
Everyone waited in suspense and finally the jet steadied and the lights came back on.  
"What is it Theresa?" asked Ethan letting out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.  
"Nothing. Thank god we're okay!" said Theresa hugging him.  
"Yeah, Ethan, I don't know what I would have done if something happened to you," said Gwen holding his hand, she decided not to mention how much both hands were shaking.  
"Me either," said Ethan as he kissed Gwen when Theresa stopped hugging him.  
"Mrs. Winthrop, we should be in Bermuda shortly," said the pilot over the intercom again.  
"Theresa do you mind if I sit next to Ethan the rest of the way?" asked Gwen.  
"No of course not," said Theresa getting up and sitting next to Chad where Gwen had been.  
"Theresa, what was that all about?" whispered Chad.  
"What was what about?" asked Theresa looking over at Ethan where he was talking to Gwen.  
"All that holding on to him and hugging him, you were going to tell him you still loved him weren't you."  
"Yes, only because I know he still loves me just look at him Chad, I can tell by the way he looks so lovingly at me."  
"Theresa, you're dreaming! He loves Gwen, not you. She is carrying his child look at them, that's real love, not a fantasy! He doesn't love you and he never did so get it out of your head," said Chad in a harsh whisper.  
Theresa looked at him with tears in her eyes. She got up and quickly walked to the bathroom.  
"Is everything okay? Theresa looked upset," said Gwen concerned.  
"It was just all of that lurching, I think it got to her stomach," said Chad covering for her.  
"Well I'm going to go see if she's okay," said Gwen getting up.  
"No, I can do it," said Chad also standing up.  
"Nonsense, she'll feel embarrassed if her boyfriend walks in on her vomiting. I'll be right back," said Gwen going to the back of the jet towards that bath room.  
Theresa was sitting on the floor with her head resting on her knees. "Chad is right, I don't have a chance with Ethan," she whispered to herself as she continued to cry, she didn't hear Gwen open the door.  
"Theresa, are you okay?" asked Gwen as she stood in front of Theresa.  
"Yeah, I'm fine, I thought the jet would crash, I just kept thinking about a future I might not have, it just got to me," said Theresa wiping her tears and trying to smile.  
"Oh, I totally understand, here you go," said Gwen handing her a tissue.  
"Thanks, Gwen. I'll be out in a minute."  
"Okay, I'll go tell Chad that you are alright," Gwen said as she got up and left.  
Theresa composed herself and straightened up her make-up and went back and sat by Chad again.

"Theresa-"  
"Chad-" they both spoke at once.  
Theresa smiled, "Go ahead."  
"I didn't mean to be so mean about Ethan, I know you really do love him, I just don't want you to get your heart broken."  
"I know and I'm sorry for getting so upset, you were right. Thanks for looking out for me," she said hugging him.  
  
"Don't they look cute together?" whispered Gwen to Ethan as she layed her head on his shoulder.  
"I guess, I still can't believe they are together don't you think it's odd?"  
"Not at all, their friendship grew into love, I think it's really sweet."  
"Love? You think they love each other?" asked Ethan.  
"Well just look at them."  
Ethan did, Theresa had her head on Chad's shoulder and he had his arm around her.  
"I think they are just attracted to each other, they'll probably realize that it won't work."  
"Ethan, what makes you say that? I know Theresa is one of your best friends and you are protective of her like a big brother but Chad is your friend too, there is nothing to worry about."  
"I don't know, what if he's using her?"  
"Ethan! You know he wouldn't do that, what has gotten into you, it's like you're jealous….are you?" she asked looking up at him.  
"Gwen! Of course not but I know how much she was heart broken in the past about Chuck and I don't want it to happen with Chad, that's all."  
"You are so noble and caring," said Gwen kissing him. "But Theresa is going to be okay. Look she's even sleeping right now, probably dreaming about Chad so don't worry about anything."  
"I won't," said Ethan as he leaned over and rubbed Gwen' s belly.  
Chad looked down at Theresa as she was sleeping. He ran his hand over her soft hair as he wished that she would sleep on his chest until they landed.

Theresa was having a dream. She was in a long flowing princess-looking wedding gown but she was all alone. She turned around and there was Ethan in a tuxedo smiling at her. "Oh Ethan, I know when we get married we will be so happy," she said at him. They were walking down the aisle when all of a sudden someone was standing in front of her. "Theresa you can't marry him, someone else loves you."  
"Who?" asked Theresa but she got no reply. "Who?" she asked again.

Theresa shifted and then opened her eyes and then sat up. "We're about to land," said Chad from beside her.  
"Okay," Theresa said as she buckled up. The jet landed and they were then driven to the hotel..  
"Theresa, since I know you and Chad are so close I booked you a room together, is that okay?" asked Gwen smiling.  
"Sure, we're used to sleeping together," said Theresa with out thinking. Ethan just looked at her strangely. "Uh that's not what it sounded like."  
"Oh Theresa it's perfectly acceptable to sleep with your boyfriend, it's the new millennium, don't be so modest," said Gwen.  
Theresa heard Chad laugh from behind her. "Whatever you say Gwen," said Theresa looking at Ethan.  
They were escorted to their rooms, which were side-by-side.   
"Why don't we get unpacked and settled in and then we can go to the beach?" suggested Gwen.  
"Okay, that sounds great, you Theresa?" asked Chad.  
"Yeah, it sounds wonderful," said Theresa as she opened the door to their room and they went in.  
"Damn, look how big this room is," he said looking at the kitchen, living room and bedroom all put into one room.  
"It's beautiful, let's go out on the balcony," she said grabbing his hand and leading him out on the balcony.  
"Wow, look at the ocean, it's so beautiful," Theresa said staring at the crystal blue water.  
"Yeah, and so are you," said Chad and Theresa turned and looked at him.  
"Thanks."   
"Well, I'm going to go unpack, I think I'll sleep on the couch tonight, okay?" said Chad as he walked back into the room.  
"No, we can share the bed, it's definitly big enough," said Theresa following him.  
"I don't wanna mess with your reputation, you heard what Gwen said, she thinks we are having sex."  
"I don't care what Gwen thinks."   
"Oh yeah, well maybe not, but what about what Ethan thinks, I could tell from the look he gave me he believes we are too."  
"I don't care what he thinks either."  
"Theresa, I know you do, it's no big deal though, I've slept in places a lot worse than a couch."  
"Okay, do what you want," said Theresa as she started to unpack. 

Twenty minutes later Theresa, Chad, Gwen and Ethan were all at the beach staring at the ocean  
"It's such a hot day don't you think so Ethan?" asked Gwen as she looked out over the blue water.  
"Yes, it's a great day for swimming among other things," he said picking her up and spinning her around.  
"Ethan put me down right now, you'll hurt your back, I'm already as big as a whale!" squealed Gwen.  
Theresa watched as she saw how in love they looked, it wasn't fair. She wished she could have that with someone, anyone as long as they made her forget about Ethan. She layed down her beach towel sprayed some sun tanning oil on and then layed down on her stomach hoping to get a tan.  
Ethan watched Gwen, in her flower-print one piece bathing suit as she splashed in the water laughing. "Ethan! Are you coming? The water is so wonderful!" she yelled.  
"I'll be right there!" he called back as he sat down and took off his shoes. He looked to his left and a few feet away Theresa was laying on her stomach wearing a black bikini with her eyes closed. Ethan looked at her oily back and he longed to slowly run his hands over her smooth skin. He looked lower and saw the curve of her butt and her firm thighs. "I definitely need some cold water," he muttered to himself as he stood up and carefully walked to the water.  
Chad watched as Theresa flipped over so she was laying on her back. "Yo, Theresa. Are you gonna spend all day roasting or are you going to go get wet?"  
"I think I'll just stay here for a while," she said smiling.  
"Well I don't think so!" said Chad as he bent down and scooped her up.   
"Chad Harris put me down right now!" screamed Theresa as Chad walked towards the water.  
"And what are you gonna do if I say no?" asked Chad smiling.  
"I don't know…but it'll be really, really bad. Chad please don't dump me in that freezing water!" pleaded Theresa as he waded further into the ocean.  
"Okay, I'll let you down now."  
"Chad, no, please, Chad!….ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" screamed Theresa as Chad let go of her. She came back out sputtering. "Chad! I am going to kill you for that!"  
"Well maybe, only if you can catch me first!" said Chad as he started running through the water.  



	4. Chapter 4

Ethan had watched as Chad picked Theresa up and dumped her in the water and now they were chasing each other and laughing. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew he was jealous. He was jealous Chad got to sleep in her bed, that Chad could kiss her and hold her and to be around her all the time.   
"She told me she loved me and I ruined it," he thought to himself. Then he looked at Gwen with her bulging stomach. "I have obligations now, I can't be thinking like this." He thought as he kissed Gwen. "You are going to make such a wonderful mother, you know we haven't discussed baby names yet."  
"Well, you're right, if it's a girl can we name her Becky after my mother?"  
"Sure, that's a wonderful name. If it's a boy, Robert?" offered Ethan.  
"That's wonderful, darling, I can't wait until we are one big family."  
"Me either." Said Ethan smiling as he put his hand on her stomach.  
  
"I haven't built a sand castle since I was a little girl and Mama and Papa used to take us to the beach." Said Theresa as she and Chad shaped mounds of sand.  
"Well, I know this sounds stupid but I ain't never built one. I'm glad I am now though." He said smiling at Theresa. After a while they got done and stood back to admire their work.  
"Wow, this looks great Chad, thanks for helping me."  
"Hey, you're welcome." Said Chad smiling.  
"Let me go get my camera." Said Theresa as she ran over to her belongings and came back with the camera.   
"Ethan, could you come over here and take some pictures of me with Chad and our castle?" called Theresa. She watched as Ethan walked over to them. She handed Ethan the camera and then sat by their castle with Chad."  
Ethan took some pictures of them with the sand castle and one of Theresa kissing Chad's cheek.  
"Thanks for taking the pictures, Ethan." Said Theresa smiling at him.  
"You're welcome Theresa. Well I better get back over to Gwen." He said as he left.  
"Theresa do you want to go get something to eat?" asked Chad as they walked on the beach together.  
"I have this gigantic craving for ice cream! I saw a little Ice cream shop over there, do you want to get some?" asked Theresa.  
"Sure, that's fine with me." Said Chad smiling.  
"Okay, I'll race you." Said Theresa running ahead.  
"Theresa! Get back here!" said Chad running after her.  
They got a table outside on the patio with a flowered sunshade sticking from the middle of the table. "I'll go order, you wait right here." Said Theresa as she went up to the counter.  
Chad waited and a minute later Theresa came back with a huge Sundae, topped with chocolate fudge, whipped cream, nuts and cherries. She sat the Sundae in between them and handed Chad one of the spoons.   
  
Ethan and Gwen walked hand-in-hand down the beach with the waves washing over their feet as they talked about plans for the future and the late afternoon sun shone in the baby blue sky. Ethan looked over at the variety of shops and stores on the ocean-side when in the distance he saw Chad and Theresa and it looked like they were feeding each other and laughing.  
"Gwen, would you like to go see what Theresa and Chad are doing up there?" asked Ethan because for some reason he wanted them to stop.  
"I think we should let them have their fun, we can see them later." Said Gwen.  
"I guess you're right." Said Ethan as they continued to walk.  
  
Theresa dabbed some whipped cream on Chad's nose as they were finishing up the sundae. "I can play that game too." Said Chad as he put some on her nose too.   
They both started laughing as Chad wiped his nose off and Theresa wiped hers off too. Theresa looked at Chad and giggled. "You still have a little on your nose." Said Theresa.  
"Where?" asked Chad wiping at his nose again.   
"Here, I'll get it for you." Said Theresa as she leaned over the table and wiped his nose. There faces we so close that Chad smiled. "Thanks, Theresa."  
"You're welcome, Chad." Said Theresa pulling away.  
  
An hour before dinner they went back up to their rooms to get dressed and cleaned up. Theresa put on a short spaghetti strapped, turquoise dress, Gwen had a dark red dress and Chad and Ethan both had tuxedos. They went down to dinner where there was a breath-taking view of the ocean. They sat down and ate, Chad sat next to Theresa who was next to Ethan who was beside Gwen.   
All of a sudden Theresa heard a familiar song start to play.   
  
Let me close my eyes   
Let me see   
Give me hope tonight   
  
Theresa and Ethan both turned to each other and smiled.  
"Ethan, do you want to dance?" asked Theresa hopefully.  
"Uh I don't think that's a good-."  
"Go on Ethan, I'll dance the next song with you, although I don't know how close we can get with the baby between us." Said Gwen smiling.  
Ethan helped Theresa out of her chair and they made their way to the dance floor. Theresa wrapped her arms around Ethan as they started to dance to "Kiss Me",  
"So did you and Chad have a good time today?" asked Ethan, trying to think of anything but how close their bodies were.  
"Yeah, he's a lot of fun." Said Theresa as she looked into Ethan's eyes.  
"Good, I'm glad." He said as he turned his head so he wouldn't be looking into those deep pools of brown and be tempted by her soft lips. He flash backed to the night they were singing this song at the cabin and how it had almost put him in a trance, how the only thing he had concentrated on was how the spirit of the song seemed to move him so close to Theresa and he had felt so connected to her.  
  
  
Be with me   
Light the way   
Find me   
Kiss me   
Kiss me   
Kiss me   
  
Ethan turned back and faced Theresa as the song was about to end. It seemed as if the song was just meant for them. His lips moved closer and closed and as they touched   



	5. Chapter 5

All of a sudden Ethan pulled away. "Uh I have to get back to Gwen." He said rushing through the other couples and back to their table.   
"Ethan, would you like to dance with me?" asked Gwen when he got back to the table with Theresa behind him.  
"Sure." Said Ethan hastily as he went back to the dance floor followed by Gwen.  
"Do you want to dance?" asked Chad hoping that Theresa would.  
"No, thanks." Said Theresa as she watched Gwen dance with the man she loved. "Did you see me and Ethan dancing?"  
"No, there were to many other people dancing in front of you, why?"  
"He kissed me!" said Theresa almost about to burst.  
"He kissed you with his pregnant wife in the exact same room?!"  
"Yes and it was wonderful." Said Theresa dreamily.  
"Theresa! Don't you see, he may have kissed you but it doesn't mean anything to him, he probably thinks it's a mistake. Now if you want to stay here talking about Ethan all night that's fine with me, maybe you and Gwen can compare notes to how he kisses but I ain't gonna stay here and listen to it." Said Chad as he got up and left.   
Theresa watched him go and wondered what she had done wrong.  
  
Chad opened the door to their room and slammed the door shut. "Damn! No matter what, she's always gonna love Ethan and their ain't gonna be no place for me." Said Chad, he stopped in the middle of the room wondering exactly what place he wanted in Theresa's life but it was to confusing. So he got undressed and then grabbed a pillow and plopped himself down on the sofa. A few minutes later Theresa came in.  
She was quiet for a minute as she stood by the sofa "Chad, I'm really sorry."   
"I'm sorry too. Let's just forget about it and go to sleep."  
"Okay." Said Theresa quietly as she went to the bathroom and changed. She got into bed and closed her eyes.  
"Theresa." Said Chad.  
"Mmmhmmm." Said Theresa sleepily.  
"Goodnight."  
"Goodnight, Chad."  
  
Ethan and Gwen walked back to their room and went inside. "I love you so much, Ethan and I had a wonderful time today."  
"So did I, Gwen. Is it okay if we leave tomorrow morning? I know you wanted to stay for a week but I have an important case I'm working on and I don't want to fall behind."  
Gwen looked disappointed. "Sure, darling. Right after breakfast, tomorrow." Said Gwen as she layed down on the bed called Theresa's room and told her they were leaving tomorrow and then waited for Ethan to join her. Ethan layed down beside her, put his arm around her and closed his eyes.  
  
Theresa woke up a few hours after she had layed down. She took a deep breath of the fresh ocean air coming through the window and sat up in the dark. She pulled back the sheet and tip-toed over to the balcony so she wouldn't wake Chad. There were a million stars and the ocean reflected them making even more. Theresa went over to her dresser and slipped on a skirt and a shirt. She silently slipped her sandals on and left the room.   
  
She took off her sandals and carried them as she walked on the beach the cool wet sand under her feet as the tide washed over her ankles and then went out to sea again.   
She looked up at the millions of stars and sighed. "Ethan, if you were with me right now I could tell you how much I will always love you." She said sitting down in the sand away from the water.  
  
fifteen minutes later she heard a voice. "Looks like you could use some company." Said Chad from behind her.  
"Yeah." Said Theresa as she looked straight ahead at the moonlit waves.  
"Whatcha thinking about?" asked Chad as he sat down beside her.  
"What I always think about, Ethan Winthrop."  
"I kinda figured that."  
"I can't picture my life without him, I've been trying to for ten minutes but every time I try I just see nothing, emptiness. He has been a part of my dreams and goals for as long as I can remember and I can't picture any of it with out him. Like my own fashion company I always see him helping me and being there for me, I just don't know how to live without him."  
"I know what you mean, ever since I came to Harmony and met Whitney I've had her on my mind almost everyday. She was all I had for awhile and I loved her and when things didn't work out, I didn't know who I was anymore because she was such a big part of my life, but now I can wake up every morning and I know that I have friends, people who love and care about me and I know they are really who make me what I am."  
"If you wanted, you could still get back with Whit and work it out." Said Theresa.  
"Nah, we do a lot better as friends, and I don't have the same feelings for her that I had a few months ago."  
"I understand," she said and there was a short silence. "I hope I didn't wake you up when I left a little while ago."  
"Nope, I woke up after you had left and I figured you would be here on the beach somewhere."  
"Well we better get back, I don't want to be sleepy for the rest of the day." Said Theresa getting up and dusting her butt off.  
"Okay." Said Chad as they began walking back.   
  
  
Theresa and Ethan were dancing together. She had on that beautiful dress he had bought her the last time they were in Bermuda. She had her hair down, her eyes were shining and she had a beautiful smile on her face. He kissed her and the kiss soon grew more passionate. He couldn't believe how happy he was.   
"I love you Ethan, I always have and I still do." Said Theresa smiling.   
"I love you too." Said Ethan smiling.   
"Ethan, Ethan, darling." Said Gwen trying to wake him up.   
"Huh, what?" he said still in a daze from the dream he had just had.   
"You were having a dream and you said 'I love you' in your sleep. I hope it was me you were proclaiming your love too" said Gwen smiling as she kissed him.   
"What time is it?" asked Ethan smiling at Gwen but thinking of Theresa.   
"It's almost 6'oclock, I wanted to watch the sunrise with you, like we did on our Honeymoon."  
"Sure, Gwen. I'll be up in a minute and we can watch the sunrise on the beach." Said Ethan feeling guilty about his dream for Theresa.  



	6. Chapter 6

Theresa woke up again around 8 and took a shower. When she was done she got dressed and started packing her things. An hour later they were all on the jet back to Harmony. Theresa looked at Ethan as he and Gwen kissed. She had to watch them and not say anything when she wished they would stop and Ethan would be hers. All she ever wanted was Ethan and now she could never have him. Unless she told him how she felt and he could divorce Gwen. "Once I tell him how much I love him we will be together." thought Theresa as she smiled her earlier talks with Chad flying out of her head. She was still tired so she slept the rest of the way back to Harmony.  
  
"Thank you two for coming, maybe next time we can all go to Paris." Said Gwen hugging Theresa as they got off the jet. Chad helped Gwen carry her bags to the car as Ethan stayed behind.  
"Ethan, I need to talk to you about something. Can you come over around 9'oclock tonight?" asked Theresa hopefully.  
"I guess, look if it is about the kiss last night, I want to tell you I'm really sorry, but please don't tell Gwen. I don't want to hurt her, she's been very emotional lately." Said Ethan  
"I won't tell her, please stop by though, it's really important." Said Theresa as she got into the car.   
Ethan dropped Chad and Theresa off at their house and then drove off. Theresa went into the house followed by Chad and sat her suitcases down.  
"I called the construction site and I'm gonna be working a double shift today and I'm going to stop by the Book Café and get some more hours in so I'll probably be back around 11 tonight." Said Chad as he walked out of the door.  
"Great! Now I can be alone with Ethan." Said Theresa to herself as she smiled. She spent the day making sure the house was absolutely spotless, working on some designs and getting dressed up so she would look irresistible when Ethan got there.  
  
Ethan told Gwen he was working late at the office so he could see what Theresa wanted, he only lied because he didn't want Gwen getting the wrong idea. He walked up to Theresa's door and knocked just as it started to pour down rain.  
  
Theresa heard Ethan knock and ran to the door. She fixed her hair and made sure all the curls were in place, then opened the door and Ethan walked in soaked.  
  
"Ethan, I'm sorry I didn't know it was raining, do you want a towel to dry off with?" asked Theresa as Ethan walked into the living room.   
"No that's alright, so Theresa what did you want to talk about? It sounded important."  
"Well, why don't we sit down first?" said Theresa.  
"Alright." Said Ethan as he sat down and looked at her, her hair was in curls and she was wearing black pants with a red tube top.   
"Well, this is hard for me to say so I'm just going to say it." She said nervously with tears in her eyes. "Ethan, I still love you." She said looking down as tears rolled down her cheeks and on to her pants.  
"You don't mean as just a friend do you?" asked Ethan in a neutral voice.  
"No, I've always loved you, I want to be with you. You are everything to me." She said leaning in and kissing him passionately.   
Ethan reluctantly pulled away. "Theresa-you haven't known me for that long, I just think-."  
"I mean it, I love you. You have always been a part of my heart, I love you so much it hurts to be without you. I have tried over and over to stop thinking about you. But I can't. You mean everything to me." She said looking at him with tears still running down her cheeks.  
"Theresa, you're just confused, you love Chad-."  
"I love you, you are the only man I have ever loved, there was no Chuck and I don't love Chad, I love you with all of my heart, Ethan."  
"Wait a minute, you were never in love with Chuck?" asked Ethan angrily.  
"N-no, please don't be mad at me, he was just Whitney's friend and she asked him to pretend that he was my boyfriend, I didn't want Gwen to make me stop seeing you." She pleaded.  
"Theresa! You lied to me, have you been obsessed with me from the beginning?!" he said standing up.  
"I'm not obsessed, In the beginning I just had a crush on you but it grew into love as I got to know you and we became friends and I love you with all of my heart. I love your kindness, I love your honesty, I love everything about you and I am so sorry I lied to you." Said Theresa as she also stood up.  
"You are not the person I thought you were." Said Ethan putting his back to her,  
"Ethan, no you don't understand, please listen." Said Theresa as she sobbed and reached out her hand to touch him.   
"I have nothing more to say to you." He said shrugging her hand off of his shoulder. "I don't think I can ever look you in the eyes again-."   
  
"Theresa, I got off work early I was hoping we could go to the- movies." Finished Chad as he saw Theresa crying and the hurt and anger in Ethan's eyes.  
"I'm uh sorry." Said Chad at a loss for words. Theresa darted from the sofa and ran outside in the pouring ran with her hands over her face crying.  
"What the Hell happened?" asked Chad.  
"She told me she loved me." Said Ethan numbly.  
That was all the answer he needed, Chad grabbed his coat and ran out the door after Theresa.  
  
Theresa ran as fast as she could with the rain beating down on her body. She couldn't see where she was going and she didn't care, she just wanted to be away from Ethan. She wanted to outrun the pain that she felt growing inside her. "Ethan hates me." She kept repeating to herself as she ran blindly through the pouring rain her tears blending with the rain.  
  
Chad finally spotted Theresa running as lightening flashed across the sky. All of a sudden he saw head lights heading straight for her.  
"Theresa! Watch out!" he yelled but it was to late and he watched helplessly as the speeding semi-truck hit her.  
  
Theresa looked in front of her and a split second later she was hit by the truck and her mind faded into a sweet oblivion.  
  



	7. Chapter 7

Chad ran to Theresa's crumpled body but he didn't move her in case her back or neck was injured. The truck driver stopped and ran out of the car.  
"Oh my God! I-I didn't see her, Oh my God." Said the woman that was driving the truck.  
"Go get help! Now!" yelled Chad. He watched helplessly as the rain mixed with her blood and created a miniature river of red. Chad rode in the ambulance to the hospital where they were approached by a pretty blonde doctor.   
"What do we have?" she yelled over the rain and the thunder.  
"Truck verses Pedestrian, thrown 20 feet, Eighteen year old, female. Multiple lacerations, possible neck and spine injury, BP 60/40 and crashing." Said the EMT as they wheeled Theresa into a trauma room.  
"Okay, I need three liters of Saline, ,some O neg., head and chest film and a portable C-spine!" yelled the doctor.  
"Pupils fixed and dilated, bad breath sounds on the left." Said another doctor.  
"V-fib, No pulse, she's flatlined!" yelled a nurse.  
"Okay, charge to 50." Said the blonde doctor with the paddles in her hands. "Clear!" she said as she shocked Theresa.  
"Got a heart beat and a pulse. catheter is positive" Said the nurse.  
"Her airway is blocked, we need a chest tube, she has internal bleeding and a collapsed lung, we need to get her to the OR, stat."   
  
Chad watched all of this from the doors and had to move out of the way as they rolled her out of the room.  
"Come with me, Sir." Said one of the nurses as she led him in the opposite  
direction.   
"No, wait, is Theresa going to be okay?" asked Chad.  
"They are going to do everything they can, A doctor will be in shortly, I suggest you call her family." Said the nurse as she left him in the waiting room.  
Chad went to the pay phone and called Pilar, Luis and Miguel.  
The same blonde doctor came in as soon as Chad was done. "I'm Dr. Anna Del Amico, you came in with-Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald." She said looking at the chart in her hand.  
"Is she okay?" asked Chad anxiously.  
"Well, she had some internal bleeding, a collapsed lung and some spinal damage…"  
"She's going to be paralyzed? Be straight with me." Said Chad.  
"There's a 60% chance that she will be, I'm sorry. The good thing is it might only be temporary. She's in surgery right now to see if they can repair the damage to her spine and stop the internal bleeding. There were some nerves damaged in her leg so even if we can repair her spine we might have to amputate her left leg. She has a serious concussion and possible swelling in her brain, if that doesn't go down or increases in the next few hours she'll need brain surgery too." Anna stopped to let it all sink in. After a while she said "Can I get you anything?" as she put her hand on Chad's shoulder.  
"Nah, I have to go take care of somethin, her family should be here any minute." Said Chad getting up and leaving. He called a taxi and then headed over to the Hotchkiss-Winthrop Estate.  
  
Chad opened the door and stomped inside. "Ethan! Get down here now!" yelled Chad.  
"Chad, what's wrong?" asked Gwen coming down the stairs.  
"This ain't about you so stay out of it." Yelled Chad.  
"Chad this is not your house so I would appreciate it if you would have some respect-."  
"What's going on?" asked Ethan walking out of his study.  
"You son of a bitch!" yelled Chad as he ran over to Ethan, grabbed him by the collar and slammed him up against the wall.  
"Chad get away from him before I call the police!" yelled Gwen.  
"This is all your fault, you deserve to die, you might not be a Crane by blood but you are every ounce of one. Because of YOU Theresa is in the hospital and might die or be paralyzed for life because of you!" said Chad slamming him against the wall harder.  
"What happened to Theresa?" he asked concerned and scared.  
"You ain't got no right to know and if I see you around the hospital, I'll kill you." Said Chad as he threw Ethan on the floor and walked out.  
"Ethan, are you okay?" asked Gwen as she ran to him.  
"I'm fine." Said Ethan getting up and putting his hand to the back of his head.  
"Darling, let me get you some ice-."  
"No I have to make sure Theresa is okay." Said Ethan as he grabbed his coat and walked towards the door.  
"You heard what Chad said he'll-." The door slammed. "Kill you." Said Gwen sighing. She felt so tired and her stomach was hurting a bit so she went upstairs and fell asleep.  
  
Chad, Pilar, Miguel, Luis, Sheridan, and Charity all sat in the waiting room crying and praying.  
"Sam told me what happened." Said Grace walking in and hugging Pilar.  
"I pray to God, Theresa is okay." Said Pilar wiping her tears.  
"Theresa is going to be okay, we have to stay positive." Said Sheridan as she held Luis's hand, and looked at her engagement ring.  
"Oh, no!" said Charity crying. "This can't be!" said Charity as she buried her head in her hands.  
"What is it Charity? Are you having a vision?" asked Miguel.  
Charity shook her head. "I see terrible pain, it's so horrible and it hurts so much." She said burying her head in Miguel's chest.  
Pilar started sobbing just as Dr. Del Amico came in. "I just wanted you all to know she's still in surgery right now, seeing as how much damage has been done she probably won't be out for awhile so you should all get some rest. She has the best doctors in the state and Eve Russell is supervising so don't worry, she can come out of this alive and make a full recovery"   
"Thank you, Doctor." Said Luis as he hugged Sheridan.  
Ethan was in the hallway away from the waiting room when he saw a doctor come out. "I need some information, it's important." Said Ethan.  
"What can I help you with?" asked the Doctor.  
"I need to know about a young woman, Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, I need to know if she's alright."   
"Well, it doesn't look to good right now, she may come out of surgery with no complications and she'll wake up and only be extremely sore although the chances of that happening right now are about 10%." Said The doctor.  
"I need to know what's wrong with her and the worst case scenario, I'm her lawyer and I want all the information.  
"Okay, she came in here in bad shape, she was hit by a truck and lost a lot of blood, her arm was fractured, there was some internal bleeding, a spinal injury, a disk in her back was shattered and a piece could be lodged in her spine and there is a large amount of swelling, a broken rib punctured her liver, she has severe nerve damage in her leg and a brain swell. The worst case scenario is she goes into a coma and never wakes up, she could be paralyzed, have amnesia, loose motor-skills a lot of things could happen at this point. If you'll excuse me I have some more patients to see." said the Doctor walking away.  
"This is all of my fault." Said Ethan to himself. He didn't know where to go, he couldn't just leave but he couldn't wait in the waiting room with Chad either. He went to the reception desk. "I'm Ethan Winthrop and when Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald gets out of surgery I want you to call me right away. Do you understand?" he said speaking to the head nurse.   
"Yes, Mr. Winthrop, you have my word." Said the nurse.  
Ethan went down to the parking lot and sat in his car to wait. "Theresa, you have to be alright." He said to himself as he leaned back.  
  
Many hours later Chad heard the waiting room door shut and woke up, after a few seconds he remembered where he was and shot up out of his seat.  
"Doctor is my Theresa, alright?" asked Pilar.  
"She got through the surgery but right now she is in a coma, you are welcome to visit her, one at a time though. She's in room 184, if there is any change in her condition or her heart beat slows get the nearest nurse or doctor right away."  
"Thank you, Dr. Del Amico." Said Chad shaking her hand. Pilar went to see her first, then Luis and then Miguel. When Pilar came back she had tears running down her cheeks and Sheridan and Grace comforted her. Finally it was Chad's turn to go.  
He walked down the silent hall and finally got to her room, he looked in and she was just laying there. He took a deep breath and walked into her room.  
She had a tube down her throat, a neck brace and there were so many machines hooked up to her.  
"Theresa." He said brokenly as he sat down by her and buried his head in his hands.  
"I don't know if you can hear me or not but there is something I need to tell you." He said gently putting his hand over hers. "You can't die, Theresa, you are my best friend and I wouldn't know what to do if you wasn't here. You gotta get through this because I love you, a lot and way more than just a friend, I love you brightness, and the way you see things, your determination, your stubbornness, everything about you, and no matter what happens I always will, just think about how much fun we had at the beach and all the things you gots to look forward too, please don't leave me." He said as he leaned over and kissed her cheek.   



	8. Chapter 8

Ethan snuck up to Theresa's floor and looked in, he saw Chad get up so he hid before Chad could see him. He looked down the hall and didn't see anyone coming so he quietly went into her room. She looked so pale and helpless as he took her fragile hand in his. He gently brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry I got mad at you but I felt hurt and betrayed. I understand now. I love you too, Theresa, so please wake up." Said Ethan with tears in his eyes. "Deep down inside I have always loved you, your smile, the way you light up a room, you have always been one of the people closest to me and I can't let you die on me, you are so much to me and I know I hurt you but I love you with all of my heart and soul." He said kissing her hand.  
  
"Ethan, how-how could you!" said Gwen as she stood at the door she looked at him with tears in her eyes and slamming the hospital room door she ran off.  
"Gwen, come back, please!" yelled Ethan running after her. All of a sudden Gwen collapsed in the hallway.  
"Oh God!" I need a doctor!" yelled Ethan. He watched helplessly as they took Gwen away on a gurney and into an exam room. Ethan tried to go in with them but the closed the door and shut the blinds.  
"You'll have to wait out here." Said the nurse.  
Ethan waited and watched as doctors and nurses ran in and out and he heard Gwen screaming. His stomach was in knots and he didn't know what to do and finally a doctor came out. Ethan saw blood on the doctor's gloves and got fearful. "Is my wife okay?" he asked shakily.  
"I'm sorry, Mr. Winthrop, we tried our best but we weren't able to save your daughter, she was too small and her lungs weren't developed enough, we tried to resuscitate your baby but we couldn't, your wife had a miscarriage."  
"No!" cried Ethan sinking to the floor with his head in his hands.  
"Your wife is fine, physically, there was minimal blood loss, but I think she would probably like to see you know, if you need anything just call."  
Ethan took a few minutes to wipe away his tears and then went into Gwen's room where she was laying on the bed, crying and holding onto their baby who was wrapped in a small blanket.  
"She's so tiny, Ethan, but she's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."  
Ethan looked at the limp figure in Gwen's arms and fresh tears sprang to his eyes.  
"Can-can I hold her." Asked Ethan walking towards Gwen.  
Gwen held the baby longer and then kissed it and handed over the small bundle to Ethan. Ethan just held the small limp baby girl and after a while the doctors came and took her away. "Gwen what happened?" asked Ethan when they were alone.  
"I woke up a-a little while ago and I started to have cramps I didn't think it was that serious so I called a taxi because you weren't there, in the taxi -I started bleeding in the taxi ." She said the last part with hostility. Ethan walked over to her and tried to put his arms around her. "Stay away from me, Ethan!" said Gwen pushing him away with tears running down her cheek. "You weren't there for me or Becky, our baby, you care more about that slut Theresa than you do about me and our baby, get away from me and go back to her. All this time I thought you loved me and I thought she was my friend, when we were in Bermuda did you play me for a fool and sneak into her room while I was sleeping, or maybe you just decided making love on the beach was better-."  
"Gwen, you don't understand-"  
"The Hell I don't, just get away from me, I never want to see you again." Whispered Gwen as she continued to cry.  
"I love you." Said Ethan but Gwen ignored him.  
Ethan needed Sheridan to talk to he felt so lost and empty, maybe if he hadn't come her for Theresa he could have got Gwen here sooner and they would still have a baby, his baby, his little daughter. He had wanted that baby so bad, a little life to care for and shape, he had always wanted a family. He started crying again as he made his way to the waiting room where Sheridan was at with Luis.   
"He slowly opened the door and walked in. "Sheridan-." He began.  
  
"This is all your fault, Crane." Said Luis forgetting Ethan was no longer a Crane as he pushed Ethan against the wall. Ethan and Luis were civil to each other since he had got engaged to Sheridan but when it came to Theresa, Luis was still in protective mode. He had let Theresa and Ethan be friends but Chad had told him why Theresa was laying in that bed in a coma and it was all Ethan's fault.  
"Luis, no!" said Sheridan trying to pull him off. Ethan started sobbing and Luis let him go. Ethan slumped to the floor still overwhelmed.  
"Ethan, what's wrong?" asked Sheridan as she bent down over Ethan.  
"Gwen-she lost the baby." Said Ethan covering his face.  
"Oh, Ethan, I'm so sorry." Said Sheridan hugging him.  
"Ethan, I'm sorry I didn't know." Said Luis.  
"Sheridan, can we go outside and talk?" asked Ethan standing up.  
"Sure. I'll be back." She said to Luis.  
"It's all my fault." Said Ethan as he and Sheridan talked out in the hall.  
"Ethan, it's not your fault, things like this happen." Said Sheridan almost in tears.  
"No, if I was at home where I supposed to be I could have drove her here sooner and we would still have our baby.  
"Where were you instead?" asked Sheridan.  
"I was here, for Theresa. Right when I told Theresa I loved her Gwen walked in and heard me, I chased after her but she collapsed in the hall, if I hadn't told Theresa I loved her, maybe Gwen wouldn't have collapsed and now she doesn't want anything to do with me and neither will Theresa."  
"Ethan, it was all just horrible timing, Gwen loosing the baby wasn't your fault. Do you really love Theresa, though?"  
"Yes! But I just don't know what to do."  
"Who do you love more?"  
"What?"  
"Do you love Theresa more than Gwen?"  
"I don't know but since Gwen is leaving me, what choice do I have?"  
"Ethan, if you love Gwen more than Theresa don't let her go. You can't just settle for Theresa if you love Gwen more" Said Sheridan. "I need to go see Gwen, this must be hard on her too. What room is she in?" asked Sheridan.  
"When I left they were going to take her up to the second floor for observation, please tell her I love her and I never did anything with Theresa."  
"Okay, I will, I'm so sorry Ethan."  
"Thanks, Sheridan."  



	9. Chapter 9

A week later there had been no change in Theresa, she still had brain activity and the doctor said that meant she wasn't brain dead. Chad was there everyday. He would sit and talk to her for hours, he brought a new CD everyday so she would have some music when he wasn't there. He missed her voice more and more each day.  
  
Two weeks after that Chad was sitting in the waiting room when Pilar came in. "Chad, will you go sit with Theresa? I want to go home and get some things done." Said Pilar looking more tired and worn-out than usual.  
"Sure." Said Chad walking down the hall to Theresa's room.  
  
Theresa felt trapped, all she could see was blackness, she had vaguely heard both Ethan and Chad's confessions and she was confused. When she had first woke up and heard Chad her first thought was that she was dead but then she realized she wasn't. All the time she would wake up except she couldn't open her eyes. It was like her mind was awake but her body wasn't. She would hear Chad playing music and reading stories to her, or Mama praying that she would wake up. Luis would come in and tell her some funny thing he or Sheridan had done that day. Miguel visited her and he would tell her about his school work. Whitney came and talked about a new boy that she was going out with. The only person who didn't visit her, at least not when her mind was awake was Ethan. She was startled from her thoughts when she heard the door open and wondered who it was.  
  
"Hey, Theresa." Said Chad sitting next to her. "Your Moms had some stuff to do, she's really worn out and tired so I decided to keep you company." He said tried to smile but only succeeded in making himself more miserable. He gently touched her hand.  
"I miss you Theresa, I promise I'll visit you everyday until you wake up, I don't care if it's five years from now, I'll still be here everyday, I don't want you to be in here all alone so I'm sure I can take off work for awhile, you know, until you wake up. Please wake up." He said desperately laying his head on her bed. "I don't want to lose you."  
  
Theresa heard everything he said and if she could have she would have cried. She tried desperately to move her hand but she couldn't everyday she would try so hard to move or open her eyes but she just couldn't make it happen. This time she tried to open her eyes but they stayed closed, she tried harder and finally her eyelids fluttered.  
  
Chad was stroking Theresa's hair when all of a sudden her eyelids fluttered but didn't open.  
  
"Theresa? Come on Theresa, open your eyes, I know you can do it, you're strong. Just concentrate." He said getting excited.  
  
Theresa concentrated as hard as she could and finally she opened them. The light was blinding to her sensitive eyes, since they had been closed for three weeks.  
  
Chad saw Theresa open her eyes but then she shut them. Chad realized her eyes were sensitive so he quickly turned the lights down and rushed to her side. "Theresa, try to open them again, the lights are down." Said Chad hoping he wasn't imagining all of this.  
  
Theresa opened her eyes and looked around everything was blurry and it took a few minutes for everything to adjust, she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and started to panic.  
  
"Theresa, listen to me, you are in the hospital, I want you to stay calm while I go get a doctor, okay?" asked Chad. A few moments later Dr. Anna Del Amico was in Theresa's room.  
  
"Good afternoon Theresa, My name is Anna and I'm your doctor. It's nice to finally meet you, your mother and brothers have told me so much about you already. You're at the Harmony hospital because you were in accident. You have been in a coma for three weeks but you are going to be okay. Blink twice if you understand." Said the doctor and watched as Theresa blinked twice.  
  
"Okay, good. I'm going to take this tube out of your mouth, you had some damage to your lungs and we kept it in so you could breathe, now I want you to take a deep breath in and…blow. Good." Said the doctor as she took the tube out. "Don't try to talk, your vocal cords need to get use to not having the tube around. I want you to follow this light." She said shining the light in her eyes and moving it. "Okay good, Now I need to know if you have a head ache. Blink once if your head hurts really bad, twice if it hurts a little and three times if your head feels fine." Anna watched as Theresa blinked three times. "Okay, is there any pain in your neck? Once for yes, twice for no." Theresa blinked twice. " Okay, I'm going to take the neck brace off and you'll be able to shake your head instead of blinking. We had to give you some medication to relax your muscles so it's okay if they feel heavy or numb, I'm going to let the drug wear off and then I'll be back to do some tests. Do you want me to get your family over here." Theresa shook her head no. "You probably want them to get some rest, right?" Theresa shook her head yes. "Well when they get here I'll send them in. Remember, don't try to talk." She said as she left.  
"Theresa, I am so proud of you. I knew you could do it." Said Chad taking her hand.  
Theresa tried to whisper but it hurt a lot.   
"Theresa, don't try to talk right now, okay? Here drink this." He said putting water to her lips.  
Theresa drank but the water hurt going down her raw throat. She then tried again to talk. "Chad…thank…you…for…everything." She said in a strangled whisper.  
"Hey, that's what friends is for, right?" said Chad smiling and stroking her cheek.  
Theresa shook her head and smiled back.  
  



	10. Chapter 10

Ethan sat down the last box on the floor of his mother's living room. When Julian had found out about Ethan's paternity he had kicked Ivy and she had bought her own house and now Ethan was living with her since Gwen had kicked him out. He had tried to explain to Gwen but she still hadn't listened and now he was living with his mother. The phone rang and Ethan answered it.  
"Mr. Winthrop, you asked me to alert you if there was any change in Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald's condition?" asked a nurse.  
"Yes, I did. Is she okay?" asked Ethan nervously.  
"Yes, in fact she woke up an hour ago."  
"Okay, thank you." Said Ethan letting out a huge sigh of relief as he hung up the phone,   
  
  
"Okay, I want you to curl your hand up like you want to fight some body." Said Dr. Del Amico as she watched Theresa curl both her hands into fists. "Okay that's great. Now I'm going to test your legs, said Anna going down to the bottom of Theresa's bed and pulling the sheet up. "I want you to wiggle your toes for me." Anna watched as nothing happened.  
"Theresa, I want you to push on my hand with your foot, like you're driving a car." Said Anna as Theresa's foot stood still. "Okay." Said Dr. Del Amico worriedly. "When you feel the needle prick you I want you to tell me." Dr. Del Amico took a needle and started poking Theresa starting with her foot. When she got to the top of Theresa's thigh Theresa responded.  
"The medicine, it hasn't worn off all of the way, right?" asked Theresa worriedly. "That's why I can't fell my legs isn't Dr.?" she said in a whisper.   
"We're going to have to do some tests, don't worry, I'll send Chad back in and after you see your family I want you to rest, okay?"  
  
Chad walked back in. "Hey, how are you?" he asked sitting down beside her.  
"I can't feel my legs." She said in low voice.  
"Theresa, you can't give up, you can get through anything."  
Theresa grabbed his hand. "How are you?" she asked.  
"I cut down on my hours at the construction site and I'm still studying to get my diploma, I miss my study partner though."  
"I know you are going to do great. You cut back on your hours because of me didn't you?"  
"Yeah, well, I couldn't do much work knowing you were here. But now you are going to be fine."  
"Has-has Ethan been by or anything?" asked Theresa although she instantly regretted asking when she saw a look of disappointment flash across his face.  
"I heard Sheridan talking to Luis, Ethan came by and saw you the night of the accident but he had some other things to take care of." Said Chad. He remembered hearing Sheridan tell Luis that Ethan had told Theresa he loved her.  
"Oh." Was all Theresa said.  
"Therisita! I am so glad you are awake!" said Pilar as she ran into the room and hugged Theresa.  
"You two need some time alone, I'll see you later." Said Chad leaving.  
  
  
Theresa watched as Miguel and Charity left and a nurse came and turned off the light and closed the blinds. She was so tired and just about to drift off to sleep when she heard the door open and then shut. She figured it was a nurse checking on something so she kept her eyes closed.  
"Theresa?" came a whisper.   
Theresa opened up her eyes but it was so dark she could only see the outline of someone.  
"Who is it?" she asked nervously.  
The person turned the lights up so she could see a little better even though it was still partly dark. "Ethan!" said Theresa smiling.  
"I hope I didn't wake you up." He said walking towards her and looking at her fondly.  
"No, I was wide awake." She said lying.  
"I wanted to bring you this." He said handing her a pink rose.  
"Thank you." She said and there was an awkward silence afterwards. After a minute Theresa spoke up. "Why didn't you ever come and visit me?" she asked.  
"I had some important things to do and a lot was going on."  
"Chad has two jobs, he works for almost twelve sometimes thirteen hours a day, six days a week plus he studies and goes to school for two hours at night three days a week and he has been here every single day for hours just to read to me or to talk to me when he should be sleeping or resting and you think you are busy. He even cut back on hours from his job, loosing money that he's saving up for college next year just to sit with me and you couldn't even spare ten minutes a day, for someone you supposedly love?" said her previous hurt and disappointment turning into anger.  
"I wanted to come and see you but Chad and Luis didn't want me too. I had things to deal with too."  
"I'm not saying you should have spent every moment with me but you haven't even seen me in three weeks, I wasn't guarded by my family every hour of every day, it wouldn't have killed you to even sneak in once a week and talk to me for five minutes!"  
"Theresa, I have been under a lot of stress lately-"  
"Do you think that I haven't, I've been lying in this bed for three whole weeks, listening as the world passes me by. Your voice, hearing it would have meant everything to me. Before anything you are supposed to be one of my best friends and finally when I wake up you are here like it was just yesterday that this all happened." Said Theresa.  
"Theresa, I'll tell you why I have been gone and then maybe you'll understand. The night you were brought here, Gwen- Gwen had a miscarriage, she lost the baby."  
"Oh my God, Ethan- I'm so sorry, I didn't know." Said Theresa covering her face with her hands and crying.  
"Theresa, there's something else." Said Ethan sitting down.  
"Please don't tell me Gwen died." Pleaded Theresa thinking about how awful that would be. She had actually liked Gwen.  
"No, Gwen is okay physically. It's just she left me." Said Ethan running a hand through his hair.  
"She what? Why would she do- she found out you loved me didn't she?" asked Theresa.  
"Yeah, she came to the hospital after I got here and she walked in on us."  
Theresa just thought for a minute and then asked her question. "Ethan, I have something to ask you if Gwen still had the baby and if she had never heard what you said to me would you have left her for me?"  
Ethan didn't say anything he just looked down.  
"I didn't think you would. I love you with every fiber of my being, I thought we were meant to be together but I guess I was wrong." said Theresa stubbornly sticking her chin out and trying not to cry.  
"I'll come visit you tomorrow." Said Ethan quietly as he left.  



	11. Chapter 11

  
Chad sat down at the table with his books in front of him. He still couldn't believe Theresa had convinced him to get his diploma. He was even saving up for college because of her. He looked at the book before him and sighed. It was so much easier when Theresa was there to motivate him, she made him a better person. He figured that if he studied for an hour and then went to sleep for about five hours he could get up in time to see Theresa before work and since he was only working five hours instead of eight at the construction site he would have a couple hours to spend with Theresa after work and then he would have to go to the Book Café he was relived that both of his bosses understood why he took off work so much or otherwise he'd probably be out of both jobs. He finished reading a chapter from his history book and then went upstairs and slept.  
  
Theresa had just got woke up and was thinking about Ethan and trying to move her legs, when Chad walked in. "Hey, isn't it to early in the morning to be visiting me?" asked Theresa smiling.  
"I usually visit at 6 or 7 am. I wasn't sure if you was awake yet today though."  
"Chad, it's 6:30am. You should be sleeping, don't you have to go to work at 8'oclock?"  
"I gots my shift pushed back an hour and a half a couple weeks ago, so I could sit with you for awhile in the mornings." He said sitting down beside her.  
"Chad, I'm worried about you. Mama said that you weren't resting enough, I'm okay now, you don't have to worry about me." Said Theresa putting her hand on his arm.  
"I guess you is right, I promise I'll get some more sleep tonight." He said yawning.  
"Chad, I want you to go home and sleep a few more hours." Said Theresa sternly.  
"No that's okay, really. I ain't that sleepy."  
"Chad, if you aren't going to go home and sleep then you are going to sleep here. Said Theresa scooting over and making room for Chad.  
"Theresa, I ain't gonna sleep in your hospital bed-."  
"Yes you are." Said Theresa patting the empty spot.  
"What if the bed tips over or something?" asked Chad laughing as he gently maneuvered himself onto the empty side of the bed.  
"See, we both fit. Now go to sleep and I'll wake you up in a little while." Said Theresa smiling.  
"I'm not really that sleepy." He said as he yawned again and closed his eyes, and after a few minutes he was fast asleep.  
Theresa gently ran a finger of his smooth cheek. "Thank you so much Chad, for everything." She whispered.  
  
  
Ethan woke up and turned over expecting to see Gwen but she wasn't there as usual. He looked around the strange room and then remembered he was in his Mother's house. He got up, put a shirt on and then went into the living room.   
"Good morning Ethan, I'm late for work, there's some food in the refrigerator, I'll see you tonight, Darling." She said as she rushed out the door to her job in Castleton where she was an interior decorator.  
Ethan got himself a bagel and a cup of coffee and then decided to go see Theresa. It was eight o'clock and he hoped Luis and Chad were at work. He got to the hospital and went up to Theresa's floor. He had to tell Theresa how much he really loved her and he hoped that after all that had happened she still loved him too. He opened the door and walked in to find Chad and Theresa sleeping together.   
"I've lost both of the women I love." He said to himself as he looked at Theresa with her arm across Chad's chest. He shut the door and then left.  
  
An hour later Chad woke up. He sleepily opened his eyes and was staring at the beautiful sleeping face of the woman who had stolen his heart. Her skin was a little paler than before the accident and she had a scar on her cheek that he guessed she could cover up with make-up, her lips were also paler but to him she looked as beautiful as ever. They were both laying on their sides now and there faces were only inches apart. He knew that he should get up and not torture himself by staring at her alluring lips, her smooth skin and silken hair that was all unattainable to him, she loved Ethan and since Gwen was gone there was nothing standing in their way. Theresa would have Ethan and they would live happily together the way Theresa had always wanted.  
  
He gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face and she smiled in her sleep. Her beautiful lips were slightly parted as she exhaled through her mouth. He ever so gently leaned closer to her so there faces were only centimeters apart. He didn't know if it was because he was sleepy, the thought that he would lose her to Ethan or just how beautiful she looked at that moment when she was sleeping but he gently pushed his lips to hers. Her lips were soft and smooth and after a second Chad reluctantly pulled back, he felt like he was violating her by kissing her since she was sleeping. They had never kissed before, on the lips anyway and Chad could only imagine how it would feel if she were awake. He was drawn to her lips again and he gently kissed her. When he was about to pull away and get up and leave for work she started to kiss him back. Chad was so surprised he pulled back but he felt Theresa's hand on his neck pulling him closer and their lips met again. Chad was feeling so many things, happiness, nervousness and even dread. He wondered if Theresa really knew what she was doing, for all he knew she could be dreaming about Ethan. He felt her mouth open and pulled back with his eyes still shut.  
"I want you to kiss me, Chad." Theresa whispered smiling as she opened her eyes and looked at him.  
Chad was blown away by the mere aspect that Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald wanted to kiss him, he had been so sure that she had thought it was Ethan that he was even prepared for her to say Ethan's name. His stomach was full of butterflies. He felt her warm hand on his neck and he opened his eyes. She was looking straight at him with clear, awake beautiful brown eyes. Before he could stop himself his lips moved closer to hers and they kissed again. The kiss was soft and sweet at first and it was better than Chad ever thought it could be.  
Theresa had been awake when Chad had woken up. At first when he kissed her she was to stunned and startled to do anything but lay there and then second time she couldn't keep her lips from moving, it felt so right kissing him. Now she couldn't believe she was really kissing him and all thoughts of Ethan flew out of her mind. Her hands moved to Chad's back as the kiss grew more passionate. His hand entangled itself in her hair and then ran down her arm making her shiver. Her hands found their way under his shirt and explored the smooth skin and the hard muscles of his back. "Chad." Theresa moaned as he kissed her jaw line and then started to kiss her neck. Theresa was in Heaven, no one had ever made her feel so wonderful before. They heard the door open and Chad immediately pulled back and they looked at the startled and slightly embarrassed face of Theresa's doctor.  
"I can come back later." She said as she started to turn around.  
"Nah, nah that's okay, I'm late for work." He said pulling down his shirt. He took a long lingering glance at Theresa and smiled. "I'll be back around three to see how you are doing." He said taking one last look at her and leaving.  
"He cares about you a lot." Said Dr. Del Amico with a sad look in her eyes.  
"Yeah, I know. So are my test results back?" asked Theresa hopefully.  
"Yes they are. ….The prognosis doesn't look to good. I'm sorry."  



	12. Chapter 12

Theresa could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm never going to walk again?" she asked biting her lip to hold back the tears.  
"It looks that way, there's a 70% chance that it's permanent. Do you want me to call your family for you?"   
"No, if they visit can you please tell them that I'm really tired, I don't feel like any visitors right now."  
"Sure, if you need anything just have the nurse page me."  
"I will, can you please turn out the lights?" asked Theresa.   
Theresa sat in the dark just staring down at her where her legs were. She couldn't feel them or see them and she would probably never use them. She cried for awhile and then layed back and looked at the ceiling. "Is this my Fate, to be 18 and paralyzed the rest of my life." Saying the word 'paralyzed' and hearing it come from her mouth made the tears fall again. She didn't know how long she layed there she just knew that the tears kept falling and she felt so helpless. After what seemed like only an hour the door opened.  
"Theresa?" asked a familiar voice Theresa knew to be Chad.  
She tried to disguise her voice as best she could. "Yeah-umm…. What are you doing back so soon?"  
"I've been gone almost five hours, I'm done with my shift…are you okay?" asked Chad noticing her voice trembled and the lights were out.  
"No." she blurted as she buried her head in the pillow and cried some more.  
"What's wrong?" asked Chad as he immediately went to her bed side and put his hand on her back as he could feel her shaking.  
All Theresa wanted was the happiness and freedom she had felt when she was kissing Chad earlier she would have done anything to make that last. She put her arms around his waist and her head on his stomach as he stood beside her bed. "I'm paralyzed." She said the last word barely coming out.  
Chad gently sat down beside her and put his arms around her as she cried. "I'm never going to be able to walk…or dance… or run. My life is over.!" She said pulling away from him and covering her face with her hands.  
"Theresa, that ain't true, you have your family, friends who care about you, you are getting your career started as a fashion designer, none of that will change.  
"What about you? how do you feel about me? I'm a cripple." She said emphasizing the last word.   
"Theresa, I feel the same way that I felt this morning, and the same way I felt about you a month ago, only stronger. I ain't gonna feel any less for you because you can't walk or dance. I care about the person inside."  
Theresa leaned up and kissed Chad. "Thank you." She said looking into his eyes.  
"I gots about a hour before my shift at the Book Café, I gotta go by the house and take a shower and then I'll come back, do you want me to get you anything while I'm there?" he asked smoothing her hair.  
"Could you pick me up some clothes? I'm tired of wearing this gown."  
"Sure."  
"If you don't have time that's okay but on your way back could you pick me up a milkshake too?"  
"Yeah, I'll be back in about 35 minutes, are you gonna be okay?"  
"I'll be fine." Said Theresa as she sat back.  
  
Chad drove to their house and went upstairs where he took a shower, washing all the dirt and dust away from his construction job. When he was done he got dressed and then went into Theresa's room. It was the exact way she had left it. He opened her top dresser drawer and put some underwear and bra's into he bag. He then gathered some more clothes and then he got to her pajama drawer. He could feel all of the silk night gowns and he tried to ignore the picture in his head of Theresa wearing the more revealing ones. He took a couple of the two piece pajamas when his hand ran across something hard. He grabbed the object and pulled it out to reveal Theresa's diary. He ran his hand across the cover which had a picture of her taped to it. He wanted to open it but decided against it so he put it back in the drawer and closed it. He got into his car and drove to the icecream place and got Theresa her milkshake and then drove back to the hospital.  
  
"When can I go home?" asked Theresa as her and the doctor talked.  
"Tomorrow but then I want you to get physical therapy afterwards."  
"Why? I'm never going to walk again, right?"  
"There's a small chance that you could, I want to know if you get feeling in your legs or if your toes start twitching, anything like that. Okay?" asked her doctor.  
"Okay. I was wondering if you could bring me a wheel chair so I could go outside for a few minutes. Please?"  
"Okay, but I don't want you wheeling it yourself. I'll have a nurse bring one in."   
"Thanks." Said Theresa as the doctor left and Chad came in.  
"Here are some of your clothes and your milk-shake." Said Chad setting the duffel bag on the floor beside her bed and handing her the milkshake.  
"Thanks. I have one more favor to ask though."  
"Sure, what is it?"  
"Will you take me outside? The doctor said it was alright." Asked Theresa hopefully.  
"Sure, I'd love to." Said Chad smiling.  
"Okay, wait in the hall while I get dressed." Said Theresa reaching down and grabbing the duffel bag. Chad left and Theresa found a T-shirt. She took off her hospital gown and slipped the shirt over her head. Then she got out a pair of jeans. She put her feet inside them and pulled them up. After a couple minutes she had gotten them pulled up to the top of her thighs but she couldn't lift herself up enough to pull them up all the way. She finally got them on by arching her back and pulling hard. "You can come in now." She said as she buttoned her pants.  
  
Chad came in with a wheel-chair and Theresa looked at it in dread. She would probably be spending her entire life in one. She wiped a tear away and then smiled. "Will you help me get in?"  
"Sure." Said Chad. He gently lifted her off the bed and put her in the wheel chair. Theresa lifted her legs up with her hands and put them in the right spots.   
"Okay, let's go." She said.  
Chad wheeled her down the hall to the elevator. They went down in silence and when they got outside Theresa was hit by a cool breeze. It was already half way into April and Summer was soon in coming. Chad stopped her beside a bench and then sat down.  
"I almost forgot how beautiful being outside is." She said breathing in the fresh air.  
"Yeah, so do you know when you are going to be able to go home?" asked Chad hoping it was soon.  
"Tomorrow. Mamma and I talked it over and she wants me to come live with her until I get use to everything."  
"Oh." Was all Chad said since he had been looking forward to her coming home.   
"If you want me to go our house tomorrow I can. It won't be a problem.." Said Theresa catching his sad face.  
"Nah, that's okay, you need someone around in case you need anything.  
"I can manage. I'll tell Mama that I'm going home."  
"Ok, Good." He said smiling and afterwards there was an awkward silence.. "Look, about the kiss earlier this morning, I'm sorry, It shouldn't have happened, I know that you love…Ethan." He said the last word with great difficulty.  
"Chad, it wasn't a mistake. I'm putting Ethan behind me. I have spent years fantasizing about being with him that I didn't see how much I had right in front of me. Kissing you was anything but a mistake." She said smiling.  
Chad couldn't believe it nor could he think of anything to say so he just smiled at her.  
"Well I'm getting cold and you have to be at work in ten minutes, we should go back inside."  
They got back up to her room and Chad put her in bed. "I'll be back at nine, okay?" he asked grabbing his jacket.  
"No, when you get off of work I want you to go home and rest. When you get done working at the Book Cafe tomorrow I'll be home and we can hang out."  
Chad looked at her and smiled. "Okay, good night and sweet dreams." He said smiling. Theresa grabbed his shirt, pulled him close to her and gave him a kiss.  
"Goodnight, Chad." She said smiling.  
  



	13. Chapter 13

Ethan sighed and knocked on the door or Rebecca Hotchkiss' mansion. The butler answered and escorted Ethan in. A few minutes later he came down the stairs with Gwen behind him and as soon as Gwen saw him she turned around and walked back to her room. "Gwen, come back." Pleaded Ethan as he ran after her. He heard a door slam and went towards it. He stood in front of Gwen's old room and knocked on the door.  
"Go away." he heard her say.  
"Gwen we need to talk." Said Ethan.  
"If it's about the divorce settlement you can have everything, the mansion, the cars, everything if you just leave me alone. Please."  
"Gwen, we can work this out, please open the door."  
"No we can't. You love someone else, you cheated on me!"  
"I didn't, I swear. When you heard me talking to Theresa I only meant as a friend. I swear Gwen nothing has ever happened between her and I. She's like a little sister to me. I love you with all of my heart and I don't want a divorce. Please just open the door so we can talk."  
  
He waited a few minutes and then the door opened. He walked in and Gwen was sitting on her bed. "Gwen, I love you so much." He said handing her a single white rose.  
Gwen looked up at him with a tear in her eye. "Ethan, do you really mean that?"  
"Yes Gwen, I only love you." He said although part of his heart screamed at him that his heart also belonged to a beautiful brunette with chocolate colored eyes.  
"Okay, maybe we can talk."  
  
Theresa sat in the car with Sheridan and Luis up in the front as they drove her home the next day. "Theresa, I have something I want to ask you." Said Sheridan smiling.  
"What?" asked Theresa.  
"I don't have a lot of close girl friends and you are like a sister to me so I was wondering if you would be my matron of honor at our wedding?"  
"Please little sis?" asked Luis smiling.  
Theresa looked down at her legs that sat there un-moving and then at the hopeful faces of Sheridan and Luis. "I guess I could." She said smiling.  
"Thank you so much." Said Sheridan smiling as they pulled into Theresa and Chad's driveway. Sheridan got her wheelchair out of the trunk and Luis picked her up and deposited her in the chair. There was a makeshift ramp over the stairs and Luis pushed her up it and into the house.  
"Are you sure you don't want us to stay?" he asked looking around.  
"I'm fine, Luis, really." Said Theresa trying to smile as she pushed herself towards the sofa. "I'll just watch TV and work on some designs."  
"Okay, if you need anything I only live two minutes away so just call." Said Sheridan smiling.  
"I will, Chad will be home in a few hours so don't worry."  
"Okay, bye." Said Luis kissing the top of her head as they left.  
Theresa looked at the clock and it was six o'clock, she hadn't seen Chad in more than 24 hours but she new he had needed his rest. She impatiently waited for him to get home. She had just got done drawing a light yellow dress with matching accessories when she heard Chad at the door. She wheeled her chair around so she was facing the door and waited for him.  
  
Chad walked through the door and the first thing he saw was Theresa's smiling face. He ran over to her and hugged her. "I'm so glad you're home!" he said lightly kissing her,  
"So am I. You don't have school tonight, right?"  
"Right, but I do tomorrow, two weeks and I'll have my diploma and then it's off to college."  
"I'm so happy for you. While I was gone have you decided what college you want to go to?"  
"I'm thinkin the University of Maine so I'll only be a few hours away so I can drive back in forth, ya know."  
"Yeah, do you want to order some take-out and then maybe I can help you study."  
"Sure, that be great, what do you want pizza? Chinese?"  
"I don't know I haven't had real food in so long everything but Jell-O sounds good." She said smiling.   
"How about Pizza, I can get your favorite, extra-cheese, pepperoni, mushrooms and sausage, and for desert, chocolate swirl ice cream. I can also pick up 'Gone With the Wind' at the movie store. I know you really like that movie." He said smiling.  
"You know what, that sounds like the perfect thing to welcome me back." She said smiling.  
"Okay, I'll be back soon." He said as he grabbed his jacket and left.  
The smile on Theresa's face instantly disappeared as soon as Chad left. She didn't feel like celebrating at all but she knew she couldn't let him down. She rolled into the kitchen and gathered plates, bowls and spoons, sat them on her lap and rolled back into the living room where she sat them down on the coffee table She couldn't help but wondering what Ethan was doing.  
  
"I love you so much, Gwen.." said Ethan rolling over and kissing her.  
"I love you too, darling. I'm so sorry I over-reacted to the Theresa situation, I was under a lot of stress and I've been very emotional, I'm sorry."  
"There's no reason to be, so are you moving back into the mansion today?"  
"I don't see why not. Will you help me?"  
"I have something to do later but yeah I can help a little."  
"Good." Said Gwen kissing him again. "I love you."  
  
Chad got home with the pizza and movie and he popped it into the vcr. Theresa was thinking about Ethan as Chad sat down beside her. She still loved him but he made her so mad, she wished he would just come back and ask her to apologize for her meanness the other day and she would apologize if it helped her have a chance with him. For the first time she realized her was single. Really single and she wouldn't have to do any scheming things to get him to love her because he already did, he loved her and they could be together. For the first time that day she really smiled. Her and Ethan had a chance.   
"What are you thinking about?" asked Chad noticing her smile.  
"Ethan." Said Theresa without thinking because she was so use to telling Chad exactly what she was thinking.  
Chad frowned, he was under no illusions that Theresa had been faking her smiles and happiness earlier, and now she smiled for Ethan not for him, Ethan had ripped her heart up over and over and she was still dreaming about him. He felt hurt and angry and he exploded.  
"This is all a joke to you. What am I? One of those-those rebound relationships? Am I sitting here just to make you forget about Ethan because if that's the reason we were better off as friends. I thought that you had had enough of Ethan after the accident, I thought maybe things had changed.   
Do you think that if you never would have gotten in that accident that you would ever see Ethan again? He felt guilty, Theresa that's why he's not shunning you, he blames himself for the accident. He would still be with Gwen if he had a choice and you know it. Well I'm tired of this, I'm tired of always picking up the pieces of your broken heart and putting them back together again. This last time your love for him almost cost you your life and you still don't get it do you?" asked Chad as he was now standing up. He stomped out of the house and slammed the door.  
Theresa thought about everything he had said and most of it was true but her heart couldn't or wouldn't let go of Ethan. She was trying to clean up when there was a knock at the door.  
Theresa sighed, she didn't want to act happy in front of a guest. "Come in." she said as she wheeled towards the front door and Ethan was standing there.  
"Ethan." Said Theresa her heart fluttering. "Come in, sit down." Said Theresa following him to the sofa. "I want to apologize for getting mad at you, I'm just missed you, I hope you won't hold it against me."  
"Theresa, I have to tell you something." Said Ethan seriously.  
'He's going to tell me he wants us to be together!' thought Theresa excitedly. "Yes?"  
"Gwen and I have decided… we've decided not to get a divorce, I realized I really love her so I asked her to take me back. I just wanted to you know tell you before some one else did." Said Ethan looking down.  
"Get out. I just ruined a relationship, a friendship, because of you, I want you to get out right now!" said Theresa with tears in her eyes. Ethan looked down and left. Theresa went into the kitchen angrily. She calmed herself down and went to grab the coffee pot for some coffee when her hand slipped and the scorching liquid fell onto her lap. Theresa screamed in agony as the hot liquid hit her legs sending pain from her ankles to her thighs. It hurt so bad. She grabbed the cordless phone as she sobbed with pain and called Sheridan. She then went to the refrigerator and grabbed the first cold beverage, which was thankfully a jug of ice water and she poured it on to herself.  



	14. Chapter 14

Theresa was sitting in the hated hospital, her legs blistered and burning with a smile on her face, she could feel her legs! Even though it wasn't the best time to get the feeling back it gave her hope, the doctor was hopeful too. She only had first and a few second degree burns that would heal soon. Sheridan and Luis had unfortunately called all of her family to tell them about the accident so everyone was worried about her for no reason. She called them into her room and they all looked worriedly at her.  
"I'm okay. Luis and Sheridan overreacted by calling all of you I was just clumsy and I dropped a coffee pot that was unfortunately filled with hot coffee on myself but I'm fine, in fact I have gotten some of the feeling in my leg back." Said Theresa smiling.  
They all hugged her, told her how happy they were that she was okay and left. Sheridan and Luis drove her home reluctantly, begging her the whole way to stay at the cottage but Theresa declined. She got home and was disappointed to see Chad wasn't there. She knew she had to apologize even if he wouldn't accept it.  
She maneuvered herself out of the chair and on the sofa and sat waiting for him to come back. She woke up the next day and sitting on the chair was Chad staring at her.  
"When did you get back?" asked Theresa sitting up.  
"A couple hours ago."  
"Chad, I'm sorry about last night. You were right."  
"Are you just saying I was right so I'll forgive you or do you really think I was."  
"I know you were, after you left Ethan came over, he asked Gwen to take him back and she did." Said Theresa simply.  
"I see."  
Theresa maneuvered herself back into the wheel chair and bit her lip to keep from moaning at the pain of her blistered and burned skin.  
"Are you okay?" asked Chad immediately beside her.  
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'll be right back." Said Theresa smiling as she went into the guest bedroom were her clothes and other things had been moved since she couldn't go up the stairs. She took off her pajama bottoms trying not to disturb her burns in any way. When she was just in the pajama top and her underwear she rolled over to the dressed where her burn supplies where. She slowly took the gauze off of her legs and winced at her ugly her legs looked. She took a tube of ointment that the doctor had given her and began to apply it. There was a knock at her door. Chad walked in before she could cover her legs fully and hide the gauze and ointment.  
"Theresa! What happened?" asked Chad kneeling next to her with worry in his eyes.  
"I got a little burned last night."  
"A little? What the Hell happened?"  
"It's quite a funny story actually, I dropped a coffee pot on my legs and unfortunately I felt it. Looks like no more bathing suits for me with these legs, huh?" she said trying to smile.  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
"Well, I didn't want to worry you, it's no big deal." She said as she uncovered the rest of her legs and started applying the ointment.  
"Here, I'll do it." Said Chad taking the ointment. He gently started rubbing the cream on her legs. Their eyes met and Theresa smiled but Chad looked down.  
After he had re-wrapped them in gauze he stood up. "There you go, look, I'm happy for you, about you know, feeling your legs and everything. I umm… I asked Whitney to come stay here for a couple months until you can get settled."  
"Why? All I did was spill some coffee I don't need a baby-sitter to look after me while you're at work."  
"Nah, it's not that I don't think you can't take of yourself, I'm leaving. I'm staying with a friend until I get my diploma and then I'm starting college next semester, I don't want you in the house all the time alone." Said Chad as he left her room. Theresa heard him walk up the stairs and into his room as tears welled up in her eyes, he was leaving.  



	15. The End

Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald sat alone in the middle of the living room writing in her diary.  
Dear Diary,  
It's been three months since I last saw Chad and I know it's all my fault that he left. I don't have the guts to go to the Book Café when I know he'll be there, he never calls or comes over not since that day he left. I know he's gotten his diploma and it hurts me every time I think about us not celebrating it together. He worked so hard for it and I wanted to throw him a party.  
I haven't seen Ethan either I ran into Ivy a couple of weeks ago and she said that he and Gwen have left town, I don't know if it's permanent or not but I know my life would be much easier if I NEVER saw him again. There are two good things happening for me though. I've been going to therapy and I can walk around the house with just my cane but most of the time my legs get too sore and I need the wheelchair but I think soon I won't need any of it! The doctor said it's like a miracle that I've progressed this far so soon, I guess will power is stronger than I thought. You will never believe this next one, a famous company accepted a few of my designs and a celebrity wore one of my dresses to the Academy Awards. I was so excited!   
Whitney has been the best though. we had kind of drifted apart after Chad moved in with me, not out of jealousy or anything like that, she has been in a lot of tournaments lately and she's the number two tennis player in the state! Next weekend she'll have a match against the best and then I'll be hanging out with the number one champion tennis player, well it's time to get going for my therapy session, Sheridan is suppost to pick me up in a few minutes, she and Luis are getting married in two months and it is my goal to walk down the aisle as her maid of honor with no help whatsoever. Well I have to go.  
Theresa  
  
Theresa got to her therapy session on time. She said hello to her therapist Maria and they started on her work out. After her usual painful exercises it was time for the stairs.  
"Okay Theresa, it's time to try you on the stairs again, I know you had a little trouble last time but we have to try again."  
Theresa looked up at the therapy stairs. A month ago she had tried them and practically killed herself so she had avoided them ever since. She took a deep breath and then stood up and grabbed the railings on either side of the stairs. She took another deep breath and stepped, then another and another. She was on the third step, the farthest she had gotten although the last time she tried had been a month ago and she was now much better. She turned around to smile at her therapist but for some reason her gaze moved to the back of the room where there was a open doorway. She saw Chad standing there, she blinked and then he was gone. "I must be seeing things." She thought.  
"Theresa, are you okay?" asked Maria.  
"Yeah, I'm umm fine."  
"Okay, maybe you should come down and we'll try again in a week."  
"No, I'm okay, stairs are just really hard." Said Theresa.   
"I can do this." She thought. She lifted one leg and then another. "One more step." She thought smiling. She closed her eyes and lifted one foot and then the other.  
"Great job, Theresa! Have you been practicing behind my back?" asked Marie smiling.  
"Nope!" said Theresa smiling. "Now all I have to do is get back down!" she said laughing.  
Maria had to help her down the stairs because her legs were too tired but she finally got there. They did some exercises in the swimming pool and then they were done.  
Sheridan and Luis were waiting for her when she rolled out of the therapy building and into the parking lot. She swore she saw Chad's motorcycle pulling out onto the road but Sheridan grabbed her attention and when she looked back he was gone. They got back the house and Luis helped her out of the car, and she was about to get into her chair when she looked at the ramp. "Take it off."  
"Why?" asked Luis perplexed.  
"Just do it. Trust me." Said Theresa smiling.  
"Okay." Said Luis moving it off of the four steps leading up the porch. Theresa stood up. She looked at Luis and Sheridan who had nervous looks on their faces. Only on a couple of occasions had they seen her walk, and she always had her cane. She took an unsteady step forward but didn't fall, she was use to the support of the cane but that didn't stop her . Her legs were sore from the earlier workout but she was determined to get up the stairs. She put one foot in front of the other until she was on the third step. Sweat had broken out on her upper lip and forehead but she conquered the last step. She turned around and smiled at Sheridan and Luis. "See, at least I know all this therapy isn't for nothing."  
Luis and Sheridan both gave her big hugs and then he put her wheelchair on the porch and helped her into it and left. Theresa stayed on the porch enjoying the fresh air. The sun was making her sweat so she pushed the door opened and went inside. She gasped as she saw Chad sitting on the couch.  
"What are you doing here?" she asked setting her keys on the table and going over to him.  
"I wanted to come see how you were doing." He said standing up.  
"I'm fine but I guess you know that since I saw you spying on me." She said trying to hide her smile when he turned red.  
"Yeah well I just got back into town and I wanted to make sure you were okay so I called Whitney and she said you should be at your therapy session so I went there but I didn't want to disturb you so that's why I didn't walk over and talk to you. You're doing real good."  
"Yeah, I impressed Luis and Sheridan by walking up to the porch by myself with out my cane. I would repeat my act of strength it but I'd end up falling over, Do you want something to drink?" she asked rolling into the kitchen.  
"Nah, that's okay."  
Theresa got herself a can of soda and rolled back into the living room. She sat the can on the table and maneuvered herself easily into one of the chairs. "So you said you just got back into town?"  
"Yeah, about a two months ago I got this construction gig in Florida so I took off some time from the Book Café and went down there I have enough money to pay for college now."  
"That's great, I've been busy too, I submitted some of my designs to a company in New York and they liked them. Last week Ashley Judd wore won of my designs to the Academy Awards I almost fainted when she named me as the designer, since then they've been asking for more and more designs so I've been really busy."  
"That's great, I didn't know that."  
'Why would you? You've been gone for months.' she said mentally.  
"So, how's Ethan?" asked Chad crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
"Wonderful, we're getting married next week, and I'm already pregnant with his twins." said Theresa sarcastically.   
Chad just looked at her. "Ah."  
"Actually I don't know he could be in Greece, Paris, or Italy for all I really care. I haven't seen him since he came over the night you left and frankly I don't care to."  
She saw a slight look of relief on his face and wondered why he would even care. "So…" said Theresa taking a sip of her soda.  
"I'm sorry."  
"For…?"  
"Leaving."  
"That's okay, Whit's gone most of the time and I like having the house to myself, it's peaceful."  
"I see."  
"Well, I have a dinner date so I should get ready."  
"Dinner? With who?" he asked and Theresa smiled at his eagerness to know.  
"Reese Durkee."   
Chad busted out laughing until he realized she was serious. "You…you and Reese?"  
"There is no me and Reese, he's just my friend, it seems you've missed some things while you were gone. Jessica Bennett and Reese are so serious, and they've only been dating a month, he's planning to propose, can you believe it? Kay, me and Miguel are meeting him tonight to help him. Another thing you've missed is Miguel and Kay, they are now and item and Charity is extremely angry but she's been hanging out with Ivy and Julian's youngest son, Kaleb, they say they're just friends but I don't believe it at all."  
"Wow, I thought Charity and Miguel were stuck to each other with super glue."  
"Yeah well things don't always work out the way you expect them to." She said taking another sip of her soda. "Well I really have to take a bath and get dressed, you're welcome to stay or whatever," said Theresa going to the bathroom and shutting the door.  
Chad heard the water running and sat on the couch wondering if he should tell her what he had came here to tell her. She was obviously mostly over Ethan now and single but would she still want him? A little while later her heard a thump and a curse from the bathroom. He got up and went towards the door. "Theresa are you alright?"  
"Uh yeah I'm fine. Damn." He heard her say.  
"Are you sure?"  
"Yeah, I think." Chad heard more cussing and then slowly opened the door. Theresa looked up at the sound from where she was on the slippery floor trying to get up.  
Chad looked at her and saw that she was naked.  
Theresa saw Chad and realized he was looking at her. "Chad!" she yelled grabbing the shower curtain to hide her body the best she could.  
"I-I'm s-sorry." He said closing his eyes as he tossed her a towel.  
Theresa hastily wrapped the large towel around her. "Okay, you can open your eyes now help me into my chair please."   
Chad opened his eyes and looked down at her. Her wet hair was in tangles and framing her face, her cheeks were flushed from embarrassment, she had her towel clutched around her and she was looking up at him. Chad had to remind himself to breathe as he bent down and pulled her up, she took a slow step and slipped again, her towel dropping to the floor as she grabbed for Chad to keep herself upright.   
Chad looked down at Theresa as she hung on to him, her arms were around his neck and clasped in the back and her body was pressed tightly up against him.  
Theresa looked up at Chad he looked so handsome, so loving. She gently pushed his head lower so their lips were almost pressed together and then she gently covered his lips with hers.  
Chad put his arms around her resting at the small of her back, her smooth skin under his hands.   
"I missed you." He whispered into her ear.  
"I missed you too." She replied slowly kissing him, clasping his face between her hands.  
He kissed her one last time and pulled away. The sight on her body was to much to bear so he smiled walking out of the room.  
He sat down on the couch and let out a shaky breath, he could not believe how much he desired her, how much he wanted her. He closed his eyes and tried to get his thoughts off of her.  
A few minutes later she joined him fully dressed, using her cane and with her hair up. And her cheeks still flushed.  
Chad smiled. "That was some welcome home."  
Theresa blushed and shyly smiled. "I missed you that much."   
"I thought about you every night, you were always with me."  
Theresa sat next to him and put her head on his chest. "Promise you won't ever leave me like that."  
"I promise, God I can't believe you're actually here, with me, I was expecting to come into town and see you with Ethan."  
"It's hard to let a dream die when you've had it for so long, and Ethan was a dream. I think I just loved the idea of him and I didn't want to let that go but I have and you, you are my reality, you're everything to me. I-I love you." She said looking up at him.  
"I've waited so long to hear you say that, I love you too, Theresa." He said and softly kissed her forehead, her nose and then her soft lips.  
  
A sequel is already in the works, expect the first chapter of it in the next few weeks 


End file.
